"I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again." ~William Penn

"Life challenges, like illness can make us bitter and resentful. But being bitter and resentful is a choice. Let your pain make you soft, not hard. Compassionate, not cruel. Gentle, not unkind. Choose to be loving and tenderhearted. Take care of each other and be kind." ~Marcel Lawrence

"Be kind today....to yourself, remember to be a good friend to yourself, accept that you're doing your best, love your perfect imperfections, be mindful of what you need and give it to yourself, and surround yourself with people who honor, love and cherish you for who you are." ~Ian Lawton

“I can choose to perceive every circumstance as an opportunity to grow and stay on my mission. And if this opportunity is also challenging, that’s even better. I have a chance to rise up--like a kite rises against the wind. If there’s no wind the kite can’t fly. Have you ever tried to fly a kite when there’s no wind at all? Have you ever tried to have a great life when there’s no challenge? If there’s no challenge for me I cannot become stronger. I cannot grow.” ~Steve Chandler

8/22/15

"In the middle of the storm be loving, positive, and honest. It doesn't matter if the storm is of your making or that of someone else that your caught in. You determine if you are positive or not, angry or not, loving, respectful, open, honest or not. I hope you will choose to be positive for yourself and others." -Michael Huddleston

"A soul who is not close to nature is far away from what is called spirituality. In order to be spiritual one must communicate, and especially one must communicate with nature; one must feel nature." ~Hazrat Inayat Khan

"A teacher who can arouse a feeling for one single good action, for one single good poem, accomplishes more than he or she who fills our memory with rows on rows of natural objects, classified with name and form." ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"A warm breeze blew through my window like a gentle wave lapping the sandy shore in summer at low tide, and as I took in a breath of air that blanketed my body like tall grass in a field I felt for just that moment in time, like I did when I was a child. I felt that I had not one worry, not one burden, nothing was on my mind except that breeze that made the curtains swell like balloons." ~Christina Pagliarulo

"As I look back at the entire tapestry of my life, I can see from the perspective of the present moment that every aspect of my life was necessary and perfect. Each step eventually led to a higher place, even though these steps often felt like obstacles or painful experiences." ~Wayne Dyer

"Because all existence is founded upon the ever-present state of union, everything already exists in a state of tranquility. However, this state of tranquility is masked from us by our assumption that there is a separation, that there is a problem." ~Suzuki Roshi

"Emotional and psychological pain were to become, perhaps, the most powerful force in molding the course of my life. For some people, pain and hurt breed bitterness and cynicism. For others it causes them to look deeply into themselves and into life itself in an attempt to understand the meaning beneath seemingly capricious or arbitrary happenings." ~Joseph F. Girzone

"Go with the pain, let it take you. . . . Open your palms and your body to the pain. It comes in waves like a tide, and you must be open as a vessel lying on the beach, letting it fill you up and then, retreating, leaving you empty and clear. . . . With a deep breath--it has to be as deep as the pain--one reaches a kind of inner freedom from pain, as though the pain were not yours, but your body's. The spirit lays the body on the altar." ~Anne Morrow Lindbergh

"Hospitality is always an act that benefits the host even more than the guest. The concept of hospitality arose in ancient times when the reciprocity was easier to see: in nomadic cultures, the food and shelter one gave to a stranger yesterday is the food and shelter one hopes to receive from a stranger tomorrow. By offering hospitality, one participates in the endless reweaving of a social fabric on which all can depend--thus the gift of sustenance for the guest becomes a gift of hope for the host." ~Parker J. Palmer from LLF

"Humility is vastly undervalued in our modern Western culture. It is a prevalent belief that humility is fine for the pious or holy, but in the "real" world it won't get you very far. Many people consider pride and aggressiveness as virtues and humility as a weakness. This may be because they don't understand the meaning of humility. They may equate humility with self-debasement and a sense of inferiority when, in fact, this is not true humility. Actually, the opposite is true. Most really great people are humble. Those among the most respected who have ever lived acknowledge that their greatness came, not from their personal self, but from a higher power working through them." ~John Marks Templeton from LLF

"I realized that living in the present is not an idea. It’s reality. It’s like taking one step at a time. Sounds good. Good philosophy, right? Then it occurred to me, Have you ever taken two steps at a time? We can’t. It’s as simple as that: we can’t. It’s the same with living in the present. Our thoughts may wander to the past or the future. Yet, our thoughts are just thoughts. Our bodies are in the present. We are in the present. That’s just the way it is." ~Anne Wilson Schaef

"I think luck is the sense to recognize an opportunity and the ability to take advantage of it. Everyone has bad breaks, but everyone also has opportunities. People who can smile at their breaks and grab their chances get on." ~Samuel Goldwyn

"Ideals are like stars. You will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like seafarers on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny." ~ Carl Schurz from Living Life Fully

"Ideals do not determine what we do to make a living in life; They govern what we become as we do it." ~Joan Chittister from LLF

"If a child smiles, if an adult smiles, that is very important. If in our daily lives we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. If we really know how to live, what better way to start the day than with a smile? Our smile affirms our awareness and determination to live in peace and joy. The source of a true smile is an awakened mind." ~Thich Nhat Hanh

"If one's life is simple, contentment has to come. Simplicity is extremely important for happiness. Having few desires, feeling satisfied with what you have, is very vital: satisfaction with just enough food, clothing, and shelter to protect yourself from the elements." ~the Dalai Lama

"If you really want to help, then help others to be more present. Help others to free themselves from the past. Help others to take responsibility for themselves. Help them to see how they are creating their own suffering. Every now and then, you will encounter innocent ones who are suffering through no fault of their own, particularly animals and children. Do not hesitate! Help them." ~Leonard Jacobson

"It would do the world good if every person in it would compel themselves occasionally to be absolutely alone. Most of the world's progress has come out of such loneliness." ~Bruce Barton

"Let mystery have its place in you; do not be always turning up your whole soil with the ploughshare of self-examination, but leave a little fallow corner in your heart ready for any seed the winds may bring, and reserve a nook of shadow for the passing bird; keep a place in your heart for the unexpected guest, an altar for the unknown God." ~Henri Frederic Amiel

"Let us not get so busy or live so fast that we can't listen to the music of the meadow or the symphony that glorifies the forest. Some things in the world are far more important than wealth; one of them is the ability to enjoy simple things." ~Dale Carnegie

"Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different; enjoying the pleasant without holding on when it changes (which it will); being with the unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way (which it won't)." ~James Baraz

"Mindfulness practice means that we commit fully in each moment to be present; inviting ourselves to interface with this moment in full awareness, with the intention to embody as best we can an orientation of calmness, mindfulness, and equanimity right here and right now." ~Jon Kabat-Zinn

"Nature is another important aspect of nourishing the soul. After a hike in the mountains where we live, for instance, I feel a remarkable sense of gratitude and awe. My mind quiets down and allows me to see more clearly the beauty of creation. And through that gratitude, the beauty of the universe is reflected back to the creator." -Joan Borysenko

"One does not need to fast for days and meditate for hours at a time to experience the sense of sublime mystery which constantly envelops us. All one need do is to notice intelligently, if even for a brief moment, a blossoming tree, a forest flooded with autumn colors, an infant smiling." ~Simon Greenberg

"One of the most important elements of living life fully is awareness-- awareness of our surroundings, of other people and their motives and fears and desires, of the things that affect us most in our lives, both positively and negatively." ~Living Life Fully

"People are all over the world telling their one dramatic story and how their life has turned into getting over this one event. Now their lives are more about the past than their future." ~Chuck Palahniuk

"Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other--it doesn't matter who it is--and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other." ~Mother Teresa

"Soon the child's clear eye is clouded over by ideas and opinions. Simple free being becomes encrusted with the burdensome armor of the ego. Not until years later does an instinct come that a vital sense of mystery has been withdrawn." ~Peter Matthiessen

"Stress is basically a disconnection from the earth, a forgetting of the breath. Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency. Nothing is that important. Just lie down." -Natalie Goldberg

"Stress is the resistance to what's happening right now. As we allow ourselves to open to this moment fully, there is absolutely no stress." ~Stephan Rechtschaffen

"The choice of solitude is not so much a rejection of community as a recognition that certain experiences and truths are so alien to ordinary consciousness that the individual must withdraw in order to experience them." ~Carol P. Christ

"The ego is often deeply involved in the desire to help others. If you do not want your ego to be involved in this way, do not be available for others unless you really want to be available. Do not feel that you should be available. Don't sacrifice yourself in any way. Don't go against your true feelings. Don't carry the cross for anyone else. Make sure that there's no sense that helping others makes you a better person or that it will gain you easy access into Heaven. Don't be a martyr." ~Leonard Jacobson

"The good among the great understand that every choice we make adds to the strength or weakness of our spirits—ourselves, or to use an old fashioned word for the same idea, our souls. That is every human’s life work: to construct an identity bit by bit, to walk a path step by step, to live a life that is worthy of something higher, lighter, more fulfilling, and maybe even everlasting." ~Donald Van de Mark from Living Life Fully

"The only calibration that counts is how much heart people invest, how much they ignore their fears of being hurt or caught out or humiliated. And the only thing people regret is that they didn't live boldly enough, that they didn't invest enough heart, didn't love enough. Nothing else really counts at all." ~Ted Hughes from LLF

"The present is passed over in the race for the future; the here is neglected in favor of the there. Enjoy the moment, even if it means merely a walk in the country." ~Anne Morrow Lindbergh

"The sun glints through the pines, and the heart is pierced in a moment of beauty and strange pain, like a memory of paradise. After that day. . . we become seekers." ~Peter Matthiessen

"The true teachers defend their pupils against their own personal influence. They inspire self-trust. They guide their student's eyes from themselves to the spirit that quickens them. They will have no disciple." ~Amos Bronson Alcott

"There is a wise being living inside of you. It is your intuitive self. Focus your awareness into a deep place in your body, a place where your "gut feelings" reside. You can communicate with it by silently talking to it, making requests, or asking questions. Then relax, don't think too hard with your mind, and be open to receiving answers. They are usually very simple and relate to the present moment, not the past or the future, and they feel right." ~Shakti Gawain, from Living Life Fully

"To a large degree, the measure of our peace of mind is determined by how much we are able to live in the present moment. Irrespective of what happened yesterday or last year, and what may or may not happen tomorrow, the present moment is where you are--always!" ~Richard Carlson

"Today expect something good to happen to you no matter what occurred yesterday. Realize the past no longer holds you captive. It can only continue to hurt you if you hold on to it. Let the past go. A simply abundant world awaits." ~Sarah Ban Breathnach

"Use those talents you have. You will make it. You will give joy to the world. Take this tip from nature: The woods would be a very silent place if no birds sang except those who sang best." ~Bernard Meltzer

"We are always surrounded by doors of opportunity. That’s the way life is. Often, opportunities do not come in packages wrapped in the colors we expected. When an unexpected surprise happens, we refuse to see it and so we miss the opportunity. Sometimes we are so focused on a goal far out in the future that we do not see what is right in front of us, or we get so busy hurrying and rushing around that we lose all perspective." ~Anne Wilson Schaef

"We restore the holiness of the world through our loving-kindness and compassion. Everyone participates. It is a collective task. Every act of loving-kindness, no matter how great or small, repairs the world. All those ever born have shared this collective work since the beginning of time." ~Rachel Naomi Remen

"What if we--just you and me--made a commitment to mindfully integrate kindness into each and every day of our lives? We would start a kindness revolution. Let's do it. Let's become the proverbial pebbles in the pond and send out ripples of kindness into the world each day. Those whose hearts are touched by our kindness will, hopefully, be encouraged to pass it on, and a revolution of much-needed kindness will have begun." ~Sue Patton Thoele

"When you practice humility, you want to become as accomplished and evolved as you can possibly be, yet you are willing to submit to the expertise of others to do so. You understand the scope of your aptitudes yet you choose to eradicate arrogance from your attitude, and you can distinguish the value you possess as an individual while still acting in the interests of your fellow human beings. Humility, simply put, is a form of balance in which you can celebrate your own worth while sincerely believing that every other person on the planet is just as worthy as you." ~Unattributed from Living Life Fully

"Your life and my life flow into each other as wave flows into wave, and unless there is peace and joy and freedom for you, there can be no real peace or joy or freedom for me. To see reality—not as we expect it to be but as it is—is to see that unless we live for each other and in and through each other, we do not really live very satisfactorily; that there can really be life only where there really is, in just this sense, love." ~Frederick Buechner

“Happiness was different in childhood. It was so much then a matter simply of accumulation, of taking things - new experiences, new emotions - and applying them like so many polished tiles to what would someday be the marvelously finished pavilion of the self.” -John Banville, The Sea

"At the beginning of every winter people are careful to install storm windows. These extra panes of glass protect their houses against the bitter winds. We do something very similar to protect our minds through the practice of meditation." ~Eknath Easwaran

"I think that slavishly following or not following rules is outdated thinking. If it looks good to you and you enjoy your environment, then it's right. I see lots of designer rooms I think are ugly or tense looking to be enjoyed." ~Elsie Hickman

8/2/15

Some catch fire on first strike and light a candle or lamp. Some catch fire on second or third strike. Few catch fire but are blown out by wind before they can light a candle. Some cannot light because the wick is damp or there is no oil or it is way too burnt out. In a quiet room, with candles closely stacked together, couple of matchsticks manage to light several of them. And then there is this one. You strike her repeatedly but no fire. Either because the sides have worn out or her edges have been blunted or your hands were wet. The more you strike, the more the edges peel off and she wilts. You fling her away saying “Poor quality matchstick.” Was she?" ~Bhavana Nissima, FB

MY SOUL

"I am not this hair I am not this skin I am the soul That lives within." ~Rumi

FRIENDSHIP

"I am dressed with friendship." ~Rumi

THE BLOGGER

"The die is cast." ~Julius Caesar

AUTHOR

❤Heavenly Father, no matter what comes my way, please help me give this day completely over to You!❤

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, as I thank You this morning for the gift of life, I also thank you for the gift of wonderful people I have met along this journey. Some of them inspire me, some stretch me, challenge me, love me and encourage me. All of them help me to realize how beautiful and meaningful my life is. Bless every person here with good health, security, wealth, peace, joy and success. Grant their prayers too please. Amen.

BRIGHT LIGHT

"You are a bright light in the world and give love to those who need it most." ~Nametests

PUREST PLACE IN YOUR HEART

"Retrace your steps and go back to the purest place in your heart… where your hope lives." ~Everwood (Trust Your Journey)

"To a Poet" by Alexander Pushkin

"No poet should set store by public acclamation. Ecstatic praise will pass, an instant in the ear; The empty crowd will laugh, the fool will have his oration, But you must stay quite calm, unbending, and austere."

As I Am

“Maybe our favorite quotations say more about us than about the stories and people we're quoting.” ~John Green

TRUE LOVE

"You are the road of love and at the end my home." ~Rumi

FOREVER LOVE

"May the dawn of each new day bring great promise and inner strength." ~from Native Americans

Random Moment

"Be bold enough to use your voice, brave enough to listen to your heart, and strong enough to live the life you've always imagined." ~Anon

Sydney Opera House 40th Anniversary

"Today should always be our most wonderful day!" ~Thomas Dreier

Live Life to the Full

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety. Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in. Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. This new day is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

My Most Memorable Journey

"With the new day, comes new strength and new thoughts." ~Eleanor Roosevelt

International Fleet Review

"I still laugh at life no matter how tough it can get." ~Leah C. Dancel,( 3-11 October 2013

A Tribute to Cancer Survivors

In Support to Marvin Lane of The Rhyming Place

All photographs, unless noted, are my copyrights.

"To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place." ~Elliott Erwitt

Quotes are sourced from the Inspiration Line founded by Chelle Thompson, The Friendship Book of Francis Gay, The Happy Guy by David Leonhardt, Quotes by People on Stamps, Inspirational Quotations by Barbara J Olson and from other various sources that trickle my quotable interest.

"A fine quotation is a diamond on the finger of a man of wit, and a pebble in the hand of a fool." ~Joseph Roux

"While I gather storm of quotations, nothing inspires me most than those contained in The Bible ... Timeless!" ~Leah C. Dancel

༺♥༻༺♥༻༺♥

"I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving " ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

“What is it in the melody of sound...which calls such visionary beauty forth from every tone?” ~R.E. Salaman

"The thoughts of the day become the dreams of the night." ~Anon

"Try to make at least one person happy every day. If you cannot do a kind deed, speak a kind word. If you cannot speak a kind word, think a kind thought. Count up, if you can, the treasure of happiness that you would dispense in a week, in a year, in a lifetime!" ~Lawrence G. Lovasik

༺♥༻༺♥༻༺♥BEAUTIFUL THOUGHTS

Inspiring and uplifting thoughtsBring beauty to the mind,By dwelling on the positive,What's joyful, happy, kind.Courage and enthusiasm,Cheerfulness and grace,Radiating from withinAll show upon the face.

Reflecting on the beautiful,What's pure and good and true,Embracing all the world of wonderThat's surrounding you.Hope, contentment, peace and love,Your thoughts can soar on wings So let the life within your mindBe filled with lovely things.

~Kathleen Gillum ~༺♥༻༺♥༻༺♥

~ Max Ehrmann ~

A Prayer

Let me do my work each day;and if the darkened hoursof despair overcome me, may Inot forget the strengththat comforted me in thedesolation of other times.

May I still remember the brighthours that found me walkingover the silent hills of mychildhood, or dreaming on themargin of a quiet river,when a light glowed within me,and I promised my early Godto have courage amid thetempests of the changing years.

Spare me from bitternessand from the sharp passions ofunguarded moments. MayI not forget that poverty andriches are of the spirit.Though the world knows me not,may my thoughts and actionsbe such as shall keep me friendlywith myself.

Lift up my eyesfrom the earth, and let me notforget the uses of the stars.Forbid that I should judge otherslest I condemn myself.Let me not follow the clamor ofthe world, but walk calmlyin my path.

And though age and infirmityovertake me, and I come not withinsight of the castle of my dreams,teach me still to be thankfulfor life, and for time's oldenmemories that are good andsweet; and may the evening'stwilight find me gentle still.

(The Desiderata of Happiness)

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,and remember what peace there may be in silence.As far as possible without surrender be on good termswith all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly;and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant;they too have their story.Avoid loud and aggressive persons,they are vexations to the spirit.If you compare yourself with others,you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.Keep interested in your own career, however humble;it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.Exercise caution in your business affairs;for the world is full of trickery.But let not this blind you to what virtue there is;many persons strive for high ideals;and everywhere life is full of heroism.Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection.Neither be cynical about love for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.Take kindly the council of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.But do not distress yourself with imaginings.Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.Therefore be at peace with God,whatever you conceive Him to be.And whatever your labours and aspirations,in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,it is still a beautiful world.Be cheerful, strive to be happy.

PROTECT ME O LORD

Psalm 119:11 Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you.

"When you find time on your hands, put them together in prayer." ~Our Daily Bread

"Remember the day's blessings; forget the day's troubles"~Anon

GREATER BLESSINGS

"Every pain that you learn to tolerate leaves you healthier than it found you" ~G. Teodoro, Jr.

PEACE

"Nothing can bring you peace but yourself." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

DREAM ON

"Every dream that you left behind is a piece of your future that won't exist." ~Steve Jobs

FLY AWAY HOME

Au revoir to the LAND of LONG WHITE CLOUDS

MY PLACE FOR SERENITY

... be quiet, please...

Written in the Sand

"Keep dreaming and create reality." ~Kristian Kan

NO EXPLANATION

"Beauty is a form of genius — is higher, indeed, than genius, as it needs no explanation. It is of the great facts in the world like sunlight, or springtime, or the reflection in dark water of that silver shell we call the moon." ~Oscar Wilde

LAO TZU

Tao Te Ching

AUTUMN

"Seasons change and so do you. Trust the rhythms of your life." ~Project Happiness

KNOW THYSELF

"To know others is wisdom, to know oneself enlightenment." ~Lao Tzu

MY WORLD

"The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself." ~Michel de Montaigne

COMPANION

"Fortunate is he who does not carry envy as a companion." ~Rumi

VALORIZAR CADA MOMENTO

"May you be Strengthened by Yesterday's rain, Walk straight in Tomorrow's wind, and Cherish each moment Of the Sun today." ~Ojibwa Prayer

Naturally Homegrown

"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." - Confucius

BEST WISHES TO MY GUESTS

"The best feeling in the world is being loved back by the person you love." ~ Anon

2015

"A book of quotations can never be complete." ~Robert M. Hamilton

SUNSHINE IN AUTUMN

“There is no remedy for love but to love more.” ~Henry David Thoreau

VERMILLION SEAL

"The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind." ~Albert Einstein

PRECIOUS GIFT

"I look at life as a gift of God." ~Joyce Cary

LIVE WELL

"Daily find something to laugh about. A sense of humor and a good belly laugh relieves stress, inspires hope, keeps you alert and connects you to others." ~Total Body Wellness

From My Desk

I feel so honoured to find that there are websites who sourced some of their materials from my blog as I have sourced mine from others. It is great to be able to channel some wonderful thoughts of my great friends to be shared to many others, hoping it will give them some uplifting words to live by.

Learning words of wisdom from people helps me to be philosophical and practical in my approach to life. Of course, I follow my own conviction trying not to compromise any conventions. I certainly do not lean on my own understanding either. We all need divine inspired guidance. My parents were my first teachers who taught me some "nuggets of wisdom". To them, I am indebted my knowledge of life to which they molded my intellectual and spiritual well-being.

Prayer

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” ~Reinhold Niebuhr

"Prayer is an essential tool for us to talk with God and to build a closer relationship with Him, so we can become more like our Father. " ~Douglas S Winnail

"Prayer is our pathway not only to divine protection, but also to a personal, intimate relationship with God." ~ Shirley Dobson

"Prayer is the wing wherewith the soul flies to heaven and meditation the eye wherewith we see God." ~ Ambrose of Milan

"Having a life time of prayer, talking to God become natural as breathing...it's the presence of God ... moment by moment reality" ~ Anon

"Prayer is and remains always a native and deepest impulse of the soul of man." ~ Thomas Carlyle

"In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart." ~John Bunyan*****"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." ~ Charles M. Schulz

Content and Honour

"O God, help us to perform our duties with laughter and kind faces; and let cheerfulness abound with industry. Give us to go blithely on our business all this day, and bring us to our resting beds weary and content and undishonoured; for Jesus Christ's sake." ~Robert Louis Stevenson

About Me

"To thine own self be true, , Thou canst not then be false to any man."~ William Shakespeare

A Hebrew origin, means 'the joyous one'

Leah is magnetic and seductiveShe carries a sense of her own powerShe has a great skill for teaching othersShe sees the ironies of life all too clearlyHer capacity for sympathy is celebratedShe is a mistress of persuasionHer strong powers of endurance set her aloftHer home is haven of securityShe may be prone to exhibitionismNothing is free from her scrutiny.

Leah ~ also means "weary" relinquishing her heart to love, for she is a hopeless romantic, putting others before herself, for she knows no other way but to give a helping hand, her reassuring smile is there for all to see, no cause is too great, for giving up is unknown to her, she loves a challenge to do her best.

You are calm and rational.You are also GIVING and KIND - a Great FRIEND.You are EASY GOING and TRUSTING.However, you are too SENSIBLE to fall for MIND GAMES.

,Lily

You are artsy and elegant. Your imagination allows you to place yourself in other people’s shoes, which allows you to easily understand and sympathize with those around you.

❤❤❤

"What is a friend? I will tell you, it is someone with whom you dare to be yourself." ~Frank Crane

"The essence of a perfect friendship is that each friend reveals himself utterly to the other, flings aside his reserves, and shows himself for what he truly is." ~Robert Benson

"Beauty is power; a smile is its sword." - John Ray

"A woman whose smile is open and whose expression is glad has a kind of beauty no matter what she wears."~Anne Roiphe

"Basic beauty lies in the way a woman walks; it is health and an attitude to life." ~Nancy Astor "Goodness is beauty in the best estate." ~Christopher Marlowe

"Integrity reveals beauty." ~Thomas Leonard

"Of life's two chief prizes, beauty and truth, I found the first in a loving heart and the second in a laborer's hand." ~Khalil Gibran

“Real beauty is about looking life right in the face and seeing all its magnificence reflected in your own.” ~Valerie Monroe"A smile is the light in your window that tells others that there is a caring, sharing person inside."~Denis Waitley

It's not wise to count your friendson a bright sunny day,when the sky is blueand smiles come so easily.

Instead wait for a storm,when the clouds are dark andthe day grows cold,and laughter is not heardin your heavy heart.

Then when a friend comesand stands beside youand lifts your spirits to the skyand laughter is in your heart,he or she deserves the name ...

FRIEND.

Thank you, my Friend,for braving the storms with meand for making the sunny days so much brighter.

You are You

You are strong when you take your grief and teach it to smile.

You are brave when you overcome your fear and help others to do the same.

You are happy when you see a flower and are thankful for the blessing.

You are loving when your own pain does not blind you to the pain of others.

You are wise when you know the limits of your wisdom.

You are true when you admit there are times you fool yourself.

You are alive when tomorrow's hope means more to you than yesterday's mistake.

You are growing when you know what you are but not what you will become.

You are free when you are in control of yourself and do not wish to control others.

You are honorable when you find your honor is to honor others.

You are generous when you can take as sweetly as you can give.

You are humble when you do not know how humble you are.

You are thoughtful when you see me just as I am and treat me just as you are.

You are merciful when you forgive in others the faults you condemn in yourself.

You are beautiful when you don't need a mirror to tell you.

You are rich when you never need more than what you have.

You are you when you are at peace with who you are not.

~Anon~

*****

Stand Up in For Yourself;Stand Up and be Yourself

Stop hiding!Stop holding yourself back and playing yourself down!Stop worrying about how you look and what people are saying.Stop listening to what people are saying and trying to find out if they are whispering about you.Stop waiting for someone to tell you that you are okay or to make you feel special.Life is special!It is a special gift.This is your life!Now take your gift and live it out in the open!Decide today that you are going to live out loud!

Living out loud means having the courage to be exactly who you are without apology.It means admitting your mistakes without beating yourself up.It means not taking who you are and what you have for granted.Release all shame!Release all guilt!You cannot live out loud if you are hiding behind what was.Living out loud means focusing on what is, right now, and that is you!

To live out loud means showing up as your authentic self, without your makeup or your toupee.It means acknowledging your shortcomings and celebrating your strengths.Living out loud means broadcasting your needs, your likes and your dislikes as they relate to your fears and frustrations.It means that you let people know exactly who you are and expect them to be as thrilled as you are about who you are.

In order to live out loud you must have faith in yourself and in the process of life.You must have principles you live by and standards by which you can govern and gauge yourself.Most important, in order to live out loud you must love yourself enough to tell yourself and everyone else the absolute truth about you.When you can do that, you can live out loud and be very proud about what the world will hear about you.

Until today, you may have been living your life in a whisper.Just for today, take one step toward pumping up your volume.Stand up in yourself! Stand up and be yourself!

~Iyanla Vanzant~

TO WONDER

To wonder, to know,

To explore, always asking:

What am I?

Who am I?

What will become of me?

Of my knowledge?

Am I squandered on the world?

Cheapening existence through vanity?

How long before I am fit to say, I know this!

Rather than, I think this.

That in itself questions self,

Whether our thought and mind is

Our own knowledge and assurance.

At what point in time do we stop marching?

Pencil upon paper, sight upon colour and light.

A fixation upon what we comprehend

And that, which is incomprehensible.

Are we gambling with the gifts we are given?

Are they gifts?

The ability to question choice, life, the air we breathe;

The sun, the moon, clouds, stars, the earth, wind, rain, height.

Re-reading leads.

Random, our teachers abandon us,

Fending for all you are on your own

'Tis a lonely path all humans follow, trying to fill the void

With relationships, contact with others, family, friends.

I advanced myself only through victory.

Victory against what?

If there’s nothing to fight against,

How do we advance at all?

Do we fight against self-doubt?

From the Original Manuscript Written by Lily

Poetic Concept:

Copyright@2008, LD, All rights reserved.

Remember today all the blessings you have

Remember today that you are alive.Sometimes we tend to forget.You have a purpose that is all your own.No one else is you.You have dreams and hopes and desires.Listen to your heart for a while.

Remember today all the blessings you have.There's beauty in every direction you look.Enjoy the abundance that is already yours.The world is a wonderful place and you're here.

Remember today that you get what you give.Your world is a mirror of your inner self.Love will be yours when you give it away.

Remember today that life is creation.As long as you live you can always contributeyour own special voice.Remember today is a special time.Make the best of it while you can.

A VANISHED FRIEND

Around the corner I have a friend,In this great city that has no end,Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,And before I know it, a year is gone.

And I never see my old friend's face,For life is a swift and terrible race,He knows I like him just as well,As in the days when I rang his bell.

And he rang mine but we were younger then,And now we are busy, tired men.Tired of playing a foolish game,Tired of trying to make a name.

'Tomorrow' I say! 'I will call on JimJust to show that I'm thinking of him.'But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,And distance between us grows and grows.

Around the corner, yet miles away,'Here's a telegram sir,' Jim died today.'And that's what we get and deserve in the end.Around the corner, a vanished friend.

~Anon~

Remember to always say what you mean. If you love someone, tell them. Because when you decide that it is the right time it might be too late.

Seize the dayNever have regrets.And most importantly,stay close to your friendsand family, for they have helpedmake you the person that you are today.

SMILE, even through your tears! ~JBY

~•✿•~ ~•✿•~

BEAUTY

It is when beauty arrives,

To wake us up and come alive,

Guide our eyes to the sky,

To look within and we will shine.

Keep the flame of hope burning bright,

To see our inner light come to life,

And then the winds blow and we begin to breathe,

To hold that moment that never leaves.

Seek the beauty within the world,

Grasp the life we hold deep inside,

Embrace everything from our soul,

Until we reflect the light from our eyes.

The light gives life to the colours of change, Blending into one that remain the same, Adorning the blue stained sky,

Dreams reign high while clouds entwine.

And the depths of the ocean below,

Reflects our tears through rain and snow, Crystallised in the blink of our eyes,

A momentary glimmer of the radiant light.

Stars awaken as we look above,

And pain slowly fades to love,

Reawakened as we morph to dust,

And dissolve in all that is and ever was.

We reveal of what is inside,

Within the lineaments of our soul,

A beauty mirrored from our eyes,

It is a teardrop filled with the world.

Beauty is the essence of the heart,

As love is expressed into an art,

A light that is born that guides us home,

A dream that dawns of all we've known.

A birth into the unborn again,

A commencing where all become still,

A starting where we stopped to rest,

A momentary time that we fulfill.

Patrick Graven

FB

The day is DONE

The day is done,

it cannot be changed.

My actions and my thoughts

reflected my own spirit

on this day of some,

I am proud,

of some I am not.

When I wake,

there will be new chances...

To think and act

with wisdom and compassion.

There will be new temptations

to be petty,

small or selfish...

May I choose wisely and well

from waking to day's end...

And be a blessing to all I meet.

~Anon~

~•✿•~ ~•✿•~

We Are Collective

Let the real revolution begin.

This is a fight to save our country's future.

To salvage the gains we have so far achieved

when we decided to put the right man in Malacanang.

To ensure that everything he does

and all he has accomplished will bear fruit

instead of simply going to waste.

To cut our ties of dependence to oligarchic structures

whose only desire is to enslave us.

To chart our own course.

Fueled by a longing to break free from the past.

To see a country where we all enjoy real economic progress.

To see the day when Filipinos do not need to migrate.

To stand proudly among the brotherhood of nations.

Not as beggars but as equals.

Duterte has shown us the way.

But evil forces conspire to block that path.

Using every weapon in their arsenal to fool and deceive us.

This we cannot allow.

Because we are Legion.

We are the Multitude.

We are Collective.

"A grandchild fills a space in your heart that you never knew was empty." ~Anon

"The voice of the Lord is the voice of common sense, which is shared by all that is ~Samuel Butler (1835 - 1902)

May the sun bring you new energy by day.May the moon softly restore you by night.May the rain wash away your worries.May the breeze blow new strength into your being.May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life.